A Weekend in Paris

I didn't mean to start with a tour of European capitols, but this morning in the shower I was remembering a recent lovely weekend in Paris. So I will recount the tale, which I think is pretty much a perfect itinerary for a repeat visitor to the City of Light. It's light on sights, long on atmosphere, so it's definitely not for that once-in-a-lifetime trip.

We left on a Friday evening, and landed in Paris early Saturday morning. A little train-metro hop to the Rive Gauche and we arrived at the Victoria Palace Hotel. This was my fourth trip to Paris and, although my friend's adorable apartment in Montmartre has to be the best place to stay, this hotel was a decent find. It's off Rue de Rennes, almost to the Tour Montparnasse. Very transportation-accessible and very walkable to pretty much anywhere on the Left Bank. The rooms are very big for Europe and the bathrooms are way above average. They do a lovely breakfast, taken either in the salon or delivered to your room (much better, of course). It's a little heavy on the florals, but you can't have everything.

Day 1

So a shower and a rest and we were off to stroll. We made our way down towards Notre Dame and had a browse through Shakespeare & Co. Left without any exciting purchases, but did score a B-list celebrity sighting, which is always entertaining. Luckily, we ducked our head in a favorite shop of mine, where I have found some lovely antique maps and prints over the years. The name escapes me, but it is on the left bank, halfway down the block that has the Hotel Notre Dame on the corner, wedged between shops selling plastic Eiffel towers. The owner, who is precisely how you would imagine a woman who owns a print shop in Paris, is delightful and will dig out special requests from the drawers along the wall. After picking out two new items for my collection, we took some time-marker photos in front of Notre Dame (which, upon our return, showed us shockingly older than the photos from 5ish years ago) and then wandered our way down the Right Bank.

We made a stop at a place I'd always meant to go into, but never got around to: Le Louvre des Antiquaires. It's just north of the Louvre, in an old palace, and is a collection of antique dealers. The brilliance of it is they all have big display windows, so you can treat it like a museum, sans any intimidation. The jewelry dealers have some incredible pieces, if you're in the market for a sixteenth century crown, and there are fun specialty dealers with swords and paintings and watches and statues and all kinds of things for your chateau.

Anyways, so we continued our strolling, made a pass through Les Tuileries, and met our friends from London at Pershing Hall for an aperitif. Pershing Hall is a hotel/restaurant/bar of the Hotel Costes variety and has that parody-of-itself aura that is always entertaining for a cocktail, and not high on attitude, all things considered. The brilliant news, besides how fabulous we were meeting for a drink in Paris, was that it was "happy hour", meaning that for $20 or so, you got two drinks instead of one. Super! The drinks were good, as were the bar snacks, although I have to say the decor was not what I had hoped. Plenty of modern furniture, low lighting, and drapery, but the central piece was this two story courtyard with a garden growing up the one wall. Just didn't do it for me.

Anyways, so by then we had to dash to our dinner reservation on Ile Ste Louis, which was made extra annoying by the fact that it was pouring cats and dogs and we couldn't remember which block the restaurant was on. But, we made it to Mon Vieil Ami, which I can unequivocally recommend as the best restaurant selection on Ile Ste Louis. Admittedly, this is a relatively uncompetitive group, but I love the island and the fact that there's a cute, fun restaurant there now is just perfect. Anyways, modern Alsatian is the label. It's a small restaurant with a big center serving table and tables along the walls. Modern decor (think grey fabric and a big flower arrangement in the center with exposed walls), but still cozy. Menu is bistro, with an alsatian twist, so a little heavy on the offal, but still delightful. My pate appetizer was quite good, as was the braised chicken. Mike's knee jerk order of lamb intestines for his entree was hilarious, but didn't turn out as well. As he put it, they tasted like something that processes body waste. And he was right. But the wine was perfect and it was the perfect place for a cozy dinner in the rain.

After dinner, the rain had let up a bit, so we hit on the brilliant idea to walk back to the hotel. It wasn't too cold, so it was actually lovely - Paris with that movie-set reflection of color and light in the streets. And Ile St Louis, back behind Notre Dame, up the Left Bank and into Montparnasse is the perfect evening stroll. Great day.

Day 2

Day Two dawned a little late, but breakfast in bed with a basket of pastries and cafe au lait, and the french doors ajar to the sunlight, is just the best thing in the world. Today's itinerary: more strolling. But first, more fabulousness. We headed Eiffel Tower-ward to meet our friends for lunch at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. Now a worldwide chain, we were still excited to check out Mr. innovative small plates himself. So we headed in and perched in a corner of the wraparound bar that constitutes the restaurant's seating. There was much instruction from the server regarding the proper way to order (isn't the point of small plates to do whatever you want?) and we were off. Highlights were the riff on zucchini and mozzarella mille-feuille and the lamb. Pricey for lunch (maybe 15-30 euros per item, so it adds up), but fun.

Then to strolling! We headed down to the Seine with the intention of a trip to the Musee d'Orsay but the line intimidated us, so instead we headed across the bridge to an antique show that had been set up in tents on one of the ponts. That was entertaining - half Westchester, half Versailles type scene and all kinds of things from old chinese furniture to deco chandeliers. After all that exertion, we headed back the the Left Bank and took a spot on a bench in front of these Les Invalides where we entertained ourselves for a spell by watching a little kid play soccer and then unsuccessfully attempt to fly his remote control helicopter.

Feeling fully rested, we strolled over to Rue Cler to obtain pastries and then found another prime spot in the gardens behind the Eiffel Tower to enjoy them. The main attraction there was pony rides for the kids, which were endlessly charming. Then, a certain someone who shall remain nameless decided we should go up the Eiffel Tower, completely violating the no standing in lines rule of this trip. But up (or, first in line, and then up) we went. Snapped some photos, made our way back down. Lesson learned.

Luckily it was dinner time, and we were slated for a place back near the hotel, so we strolled our way back only to find it was closed. Quelle probleme! After regrouping at the hotel, we landed at Atelier Maitre Albert, a Guy Savoy joint on the Left Bank, right near Notre Dame. Concrete floors, bright walls, rotisseries on view. Not a bad place, service was surprisingly friendly and the food was quite good - steak for Mike, fish for me. So a good save after all. After that, it was to Ile Ste Louis (I said I loved it) for a drink at the cafe, gazing at Notre Dame. Once we got too cold, we wandered our way back along the Left Bank and to bed.

Day 3

Last day! So sad. Today was a national holiday, so many things were closed, but no matter, as we could still eat and stroll. There was much sleeping in, followed by the divine breakfast, and then to La Grande Epicerie to assemble a picnic. This is a huge gourmet grocery store right next to the Bon Marche department store that is perfect for picnics. It has every thing you could ever want to eat, all the accoutrements and is accessible for those without the language skills. So we put together a feast and were on our way. We had decided on the Tuileries for the picnic and the weather held for us to sit on the grass and enjoy the scene. Tons of families out to enjoy the holiday, so no end to people watching. Lovely.

Then we had ourselves a stroll around the Right Bank. It was a window shopping day, given the holiday, but no mind as the windows are the best part anyways. Took a lap of the Place Vendome, which was lovely and hushed, and generally entertained ourselves with the things on view. Then it was back to the hotel before our big dinner.

Dinner was at Le Cinq, the three star restaurant in the George V hotel and was incredible. We started with drinks in the hotel bar, Le Bar, a swank, dark wood joint that was surprisingly unassuming. Then to dinner. The food was the right balance of creative but not overly-conceptual and the service was impeccable - omnipresent but relaxed. Decor is traditional french opulent, accented by modern floral decorations. We had the tasting menu, because why not. Highlights were bread with bacon in it (Mike's favorite) and my sweet breads with "paella" made of orzo with crayfish and chorizo and the insanely buttery mashed potatoes with Mike's veal. Of course, the cheese course was insane and the desert trio of bittersweet chocolate ice cream, pot de creme, and fondant cake pretty much put us under. And the meal closed with a box of homemade candies to take home (including homemade marshmallows - mmm) and an enormous rose for me. We closed the place down. And then had an after dinner drink in the bar. Over the top, but wonderful, and a great way to close out a great weekend.

Rome

I am off to a more exotic destination in a few weeks, but some friends are going to Rome this weekend. So that has me thinking about la dolce vita. Some thoughts about favorite places:

Where to stay:

My adventures in Rome have been based in rented apartments to date. One charming place in Trastevere seems to no longer be listed on the internet, but it was tucked off the quiet Piazza Piscinula. The most recent visit was based in a lovely old building down a little road from the Pantheon. I won't tell you which place, for fear of a gem being overrun, but www.b-b.rm.it has some lovely leads and was the source of my find.

If I were ever going back on a spending spree, I think I'd cast an eye at the Hotel Farnese or Albergo Del Senato (you can't go wrong with balconies).

What to do:

Markets. I love markets. Mornings in the Campo dei Fiori are a must, and whichever little market of the day you happen onto is likely a gem.

Walking. Rome is big enough for a whole day's wandering, but with the boundaries defined so that you don't get helplessly lost. Plus, head in any direction and you'll find a major sight for the tourist in you, a great cafe for sore feet, and an unlikely little trattoria or, these days, wine bar for lunch.

Coffee. A little caffe freddo - cold espresso with sugar - in the summer is just the best break from all of your walking and marketing. But, really, if you walk in somewhere that's crowded and order any espresso drink, you're bound to do alright. Certainly better than Starbucks. Plus, the fresh orange juice is divinde. If it's morning and you're a little hungry, have a cornetto (I prefer plain) with your caffeeine. A favorite spot is Caffe Sant'Eustachio, on a small piazza of the same name near the Pantheon.

Eating. If you're not cooking at your cute apartment with the ingredients purchased at that morning's market, some places to try are:

Armanda al Pantheon is a slow food joint that's very satisfying, although definitely discovered by the well-informed tourist. This is an excellent choice for when you're not feeling too adventurous, but don't want to pay too much for disappointing food.

For that whole Roman mamma in the kitchen vibe, try Ristorante del Pallaro, Largo del Pallaro 15. You might have to eat whatever mamma feels like cooking that night, but it's guaranteed to be good.

Cavour 313 - on via Cavour, number 313, near the Forum - is a wine bar with light food that is an inspired choice for lunch after the ruins, or a light dinner if you're staying in the area.

Drinking. Any caffe will fix you up a campari and soda (or, my choice, a prosecco) pronto, but sometimes you need a little bit of chic with your aperitivo.

Word is these days the place to be is the Hotel de Russie.

Another choice is the rooftop bar at Hotel Eden, via Ludovisi 49, near the top of the Spanish Steps.